Kidnap suspect arrested after girl, 3, goes missing from baby shower

A kidnap suspect was arrested Sunday after a 3-year-old girl went missing from a baby shower in East L.A.

November 17, 2013 12:00:00 AM PST

By Amy Powell and Francine Rios

EAST LOS ANGELES --

A kidnap suspect was arrested Sunday after a 3-year-old girl went missing from a baby shower in East Los Angeles.

The child was with family members at the party at a home in the 3200 block of Malabar Street Saturday night. Around 11 p.m., the family realized the little girl had disappeared and called police.

A nearly three-hour search was conducted in the neighborhood. The girl was found with the suspect in a shed behind a nearby residence around 2 a.m.

The girl was examined at a hospital. She was not harmed, police said.

The man who hosted the baby shower said around 40 people attended the party.

"Somehow their investigation revealed the child was lured away by a male that had attended the party," said Los Angeles police Sgt. Gabriel Lara.

The suspect, who authorities identified as 55-year-old Edward Lopez, was taken from the scene in an ambulance. He was later booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on a charge of kidnapping for the purpose of committing a sexual offense.